A King's Wonderings
by A-Giant-Fan
Summary: Sequel to "A Prince's Ponderings"! The Straw Hat's find themselves castaways on a mysterious island where the jungles are seemingly alive. As they fight to find each other and make their way to safety, a familiar figure's return shocks the entire island. Not only is an old friend alive, but he's got a few new tricks up his sleeve - now if only he could get them under control!
1. The Straw Hats Make Waves! Who Was He?

The Thousand Sunny traversed the mild waves as Nami watched the sun rise way over the low clouds that took tones of snow white. She breathed in the fresh, salty air and stepped away from the railing to admire the tangerine trees.

 _It feels as though today is going to be a slow one…_

"Oi, Usopp, you took my sandwich!"

"Never mind that, Chopper! Brook's going for you milk!"

"Yo-ho-ho-ho-ho, where's the loyalty?"

"You're both teaming up against me!"

"You took the last salmon sandwich!"

"Because I didn't want pickled herring!"

Nami furrowed her brow and, walking over to the railing overseeing the main deck, watch as Chopper, Usopp and Brook fought over their tiny sandwich.

"…CAN WE HAVE SOME PEACE AND QUIET ON THIS BOAT FOR MORE THAN TEN MINUTES, PLEASE?!"

As the trio froze and toppled over each other in shock, she wiped her bangs off her face and took another deep breath. "Honestly…"

"My, Nami," Robin chuckled from her chair as she flipped through a magazine, "you sure have a way with words."

 _I wish_ , Nami glanced up at the Sunny's head, where their captain sat in his dark green shirt and pants, _though I'd have a better time reading minds. Luffy has barely spoken the past few days…could it be the news we received that has him like this?_

"…Luffy," she walked over right behind the head, "any plans for your, you know, crew?"

"…I've got some serious things on my mind right now, Nami."

"…Such as…?"

He stretched his arms out and groaned. "Whether we should have rare or well done meat tonight."

 _Ugh. He's no different._

As she returned to Robin Sanji came up in an orange long sleeve and jeans. "Nami, Robin, I'm about to try out some new smoothie styles. You lovely ladies have any recommendations?"

"Well," Robin thoughtfully placed the magazine on the table beside her, "I haven't had blueberries in a while. What about you, Nami?"

"I'm thinking tangerines," she winked, "but blueberries are sounding pretty…good…now…"

The trio's gaze fell to the table where, underneath the magazine, sat last week's newspaper. Sanji pulled out a cigarette and, lighting it, let out a long length of smoke. "Hey, Luffy, I thought I told you to take care of the newspaper."

"Whoa, whoa, Sanji," Usopp's head popped up from the stairs, "let's not start anything again, please!"

Robin's hand instinctively fell to the paper, where she opened it to the front page. Nami still got chills just form reading the headline, the words almost too painful to read.

 **PRINCE DEITY ASSUMED DEAD**

 **STRAW HAT PIRATES TO BLAME AS NAVY CEASES SEARCH FOR BODY**

 **MARINE OFFICER TSUKI PROMOTED**

"I won't get rid of it," Luffy commanded, "not yet."

"And why not?" Sanji growled as he bit on his cigar. "I don't want to-"

"Sanji."

"…"

Luffy glanced back, his eyes filled with a stern affirmation. "We keep it."

 _…Luffy_ , Nami watched Sanji accept their fate and make his way back down the stairs as Robin eyed the paper, _even after what you first said when we found out…_

* * *

 _"He made his choice!"_

 _The crew of the Thousand Sunny gave their full attention to Luffy as he stood atop the stairs; the newspaper had arrived late that morning, and now sat on the sobbing Chopper's lap as Robin comforted him._

 _"What are you saying?!" Usopp shook his head in anger. "That we shouldn't even try to investigate?! You told us that Deity would only ring that dock bell when he knew it was safe! Something must have happened!"_

 _"It's not right," Franky slammed his fists together, manly tears flowing down his cheeks, "they're blaming us for all of this!"_

 _Zoro stood and crossed his arms. "Let's hope this wasn't all a ruse to get us into even deeper trouble with the Marines."_

 _"Hey," Sanji glowered at the swordsman, "if you're trying to propose that Deity was tricking us into being his friends, I'm going to-"_

 _"ENOUGH!"_

 _The crew fell silent. Nami didn't push the hair away from her dazed face as she watched Luffy pull his hat over his eyes to hide his true feelings. "It's already been a month since Deity's blood was found on the bell and his body went missing. There's nothing we can do."_

 _"But," Brooke spoke into the silence, "perhaps we should at least tell people that we didn't murder him?"_

 _"No. He was our friend, but he knew what would happen. He wanted whoever killed him to get away; he entrusted us with the blame. He made his choice, and we're going to respect it."_

 _Their captain turned away and walked off towards the Sunny's head._

 _"We need to honour him. As his friends, we owe him this much."_

* * *

 _I know – we all know – that you wanted to save him just as much as we did_ , Nami did her hair up into a braid, _so you don't have to keep the paper around; I know you want to remind yourself of this failure for whatever stupid reason you have, but it will only hurt you more-_

"Hey, guys," Zoro called out from the crow's nest, "a small ship is coming up alongside us. It doesn't look to be anything dangerous, but keep your guards up."

"They must be looking for directions," Usopp figured as they skipped down the stairs and joined Chopper at the railing, "what with this fog rolling in."

 _This fog_ , Nami felt the crispness of the air, _it…shouldn't even be here…?_

The ship below them wasn't anything more than a long boathouse bobbing on the waves, its red paint chipping and the roof missing a couple of shingles. At the door-less entrance stood a short, lanky old man in a pink jumpsuit, his dark red hair in thick curls and big round sunglasses covering his eyes, though one was missing its lens. His grey iris looked from face to face aboard the Sunny before he coughed into one of his wrinkly hands and gave a wave.

"Greetings, pirates. I was wondering if I may ask a tiny favour of you, as a fellow sea dweller."

"Say," Usopp called back as the fog thickened, "who are you, and what are you doing so far out here on your own?"

 _The fog is only growing_ , Nami checked her log poses and gawked, _and, hey, wait a minute!_

"The name's Jomei, Doctor Jomei," the old man's protruding jaw made cracking sounds as he grinned, "and I'm not alone. I got a patient on board with me; I've been tending to his wounds for the past few weeks now. My whole life I've been travelling the waters, doing what I love: healing wounded pirates and making the sea a teeny bit safer."

"That's amazing!" Chopper awed at the man's courage. "What are your credentials?"

"I make a mean tossed salad."

"THAT DOESN'T COUNT AS A CREDENTIAL!"

"Don't worry, reindeer boy, I did my training way back when. It's pretty basic stuff, but it'll save lives out here in these infested waters."

"Guys," Nami interrupted Jomei, "the log pose has locked onto an island somewhere nearby!"

Luffy flung himself over and onto the stair railing as Brooke tilted his head. "I haven't seen an island anywhere. Then again, I haven't really been keeping an eye on the horizon, even before the fog…not that I have eyes to keep on anything! Yo-ho-ho-ho!"

"Hey, gramps," Luffy asked, "whatcha looking for? We're in a hurry to find a new island."

"A new island?" Jomei squinted into the fog and rubbed his chin. "Hm…they say that out here, there's rumoured to be an island shrouded by plant life…plants that move on their own…"

"What was that?"

"Eh? Oh, nothing, just an old man's ramblings." He gestured into the boathouse. "You see, I've had my patient here with me for weeks now, and we're running out of provisions. The last thing I was able to feed him was some fruit, but from the way he reacted to it I suppose it had gone bad. Might I ask for a small bit of food that'll last us to the next island?"

"Gee," Usopp whispered to Nami as she pieced together what Jomei had murmured about the mysterious plant island, "I don't think I'd trust my life to a doctor willing to feed me bad fruit…hey, Nami, you listening?"

"Hm? Oh, yes, right, neither would I."

 _An island of living plants? I've heard the rumours, as well, but…I can't remember much._

"Sanji," Luffy called to the chef as he approached Franky by the bottom of the main mast, "we got any spare food to give them?"

"I've got a few barrels of fresh fruit and greens. Franky and I will bring them out."

"We're on it, SUPER!"

"Doctor Jomei," Chopper stood on the railing, "you said you have a patient on board? Do you mind if I have a look? I'm a doctor, too, and I have all my medicines and tools at my disposal!"

"Sure, sure," Jomei waved him over, "the poor man deserves a second opinion, after all."

"Be quick, Chopper," Brooke reminded him, "we need to find out where this new island is, and whether it's safe to land."

 _Not that it'll keep Luffy from making us go_ , Nami smirked as Chopper took his more reindeer form and prepared to jump over to the boathouse, _danger will only lure him in faster…?_

She spotted something dark coming towards the surface of the water between the boats. As she leaned forward to get a better looked, she caught sight of something large looming like a giant shadow in front of the ship.

"Here I go," Chopper leapt off the railing.

"Chopper," Nami cried out, "wait, stop!"

 _WHAM!_

"Whaaaaaaaa!" Chopper screamed at the top of his lungs as an enormous vine burst from the water and sent him flying into the air as it whipped around.

"The mysterious island!" Jomei clung to the entrance of the boathouse as papers and trinkets rolled into the water, the waves crashing against it. "We're right by it!"

"Listen to me, everyone," Nami tried to get the crew's attention as more vines sprouted from the water and bashed against the Sunny, "I remember now! Our log pose is locked onto Shokusei Island! If we don't hurry these vines are going to toss us right into the middle of the dangerous jungles that make up its landscape!"

Sanji ran to the steering wheel and desperately tried to spin it in either direction. "It's not use, it isn't budging! We're surrounded by too many of these stupid vi-"

 _BAM!_

Nami felt her stomach dig into the railing as she clung for dear life, the Sunny beginning to tip forward as the vines pushed it towards the large shadow before them. Jomei's boathouse was shoved away and knocked about. She couldn't see Chopper anywhere.

"Chopper," Robin called out as Luffy kept her from falling, "where are you?! CHOPPER!"

"Quickly," Jomei took a brave step forward, "the island will devour us all if we don't-"

Nami felt her pulse freeze as a large vine broke through the boathouse's outer deck, the old man having vanished. "J-Jomei?!"

 _We're too late_ , she could feel the ship moaning as everyone did their best to hold on, _the fog was used to lure us in! We've been trapped from the very beginning!_

It was then that vines began to trace over the main deck, swiping inches above Nami's head. The Sunny was meters above the water now, and she couldn't see anyone else beyond the green masses.

 _The shadow is closer than ever!_

Two more vines threw Jomei's boathouse into the air, all the belongings inside spreading through the fog as the wood cracked and the entire frame of the ship was crushed. As another vine bent around the ships, Nami could make out a limp body hanging backwards over it, a blanket slipping from their thin shoulders.

 _The patient…wait…no…it…it can't be…!_

Their eyes weren't open and their hair hadn't been brushed, but there was no mistaking the face. She would've cried had there not already been tears from the shock of the attack.

 _This can't be happening…it can't!_

Suddenly the ship turned upside down, and Nami had to cling to the railing with her fingers as she heard the crew around her scream. The patient was disappearing behind the wall of vines before her.

"…Wait, come back, please," she used most of her strength to scream out over the sounds of her crewmates,

"DEEEEEIIIIIIITTTTTYYYYY!"

 **For over a year now I've contemplated writing a sequel to 'A Prince's Ponderings', and whether or not it would work. I'm hoping that people will be intrigued. I know a lot of people weren't too happy with the ending of the first fanfic, but I'm going to change that. Starting today we begin the continuation of out crew's journey with the curious prince; what will happen to him and the Straw Hat's on this mysterious island? Only time will tell.**

 **Why did I end off the first story with that ending? I felt that, in order to round out Deity's character development, he had to show his loyalty to Luffy and the others. It took getting shot, but he knew what would happen, and despite it he gave his life to keep them safe. However, that doesn't mean the story is over.**

 **For those who were willing, you've waited long enough. Onward we go into the depths of this new tale!**


	2. Nami on Plant Island! Will it Eat Us?

_DO **BANG** NG!_

 _…There's pain…in my chest…blood everywhere…I'm falling…_

 _"YOU FOOL!" He could hear Tsuki cursing his name as he stumbled back, dropping the hammer. He felt the dock disappear from under his feet as he fell back._

 _SPLASH!_

 _It hurts all over…but…I can't die…I won't die…I won't give Mr. Tsuki the benefit of my death! I have to swim, despite the pain…swim…swim until I'm out of sight…and then I need to take some air in…and keeping swimming…_

 _…_

 _…_

 _…_

 _…_

 _…_

 _…_

 _There's a voice…speaking to me…the old man…cleaning…my…wounds…am I safe…are…are…_

 _Are the others safe?_

 _…_

 _I need to find them…I need to…to…to…find…them…m-my head…it hurts…my legs feel like air…this strength…ah… **ahh…AAAAHHHHH...**_

* * *

"Hello?" Nami brushed her loosening braid over her shoulder and wiped her dirtied hands on her white jumper. "Anyone around?"

 _Should I play it safe and stay quiet_ , she wondered as she made her way through the midst of the jungle, _or risk meeting a dangerous creatures in hopes of contacting the others?_

She had awoken under a web of vines, laid out on a huge leaf that she had slid down to the ground; how she had been lucky enough not to break any bones was far from her, but she was glad not to be limping around.

 _And I know what I saw. It was Deity. Doctor Jomei must have been aware that his patient was the same prince thought dead by the Marines!_

After another few minutes of walking she finally saw the seashore, which came as a relief as she felt the ocean breeze through the never-ending fog. She ran the rest of the way until she felt the sand between her bare toes. She took time to fix her braid and make a quick wash over her arms and feet in the lapping waves.

 _Shokusei Island. I've heard pirates here and there speak of it, but to think that it was so real_ , she sat and watched the waves roll in and out, _an island where the plants and animals move in the same way, hunting and trapping. Those who are caught up in its fog become victim to the vines beneath the island that destroy ships and place those on board into the jungle – where they're hunted down and eaten._

She let her gaze trace over the shores before falling to a large pile of shattered wood sitting not far from her. She slowly made her way over to find that it was the remains of Doctor Jomei's boathouse. "Oh, no…"

 _He vanished during the vine attacks. Did he even make it to the island? I should do a quick swim out to see if he or any of the others are floating around. If Luffy, Robin, Chopper or Brooke have fallen in, they could be drowning!_

She quickly rolled up her pant legs and began to descend into the water, until a low rumbling shook the ground and caused her to lose her balance. As she fell back a wall of vines shot out of the water and reached into the fog high above, blocking out any chance for sunlight.

"Are you serious," she felt her frustration grow as the vines soon surrounded the entire shore, "the island won't let me leave…I don't like it, but I guess I have no choice." She rose and stormed out of the water. "I'll have to venture into the jungle to find the others. It'll be dangerous if I need to resort to my Clima-Tact in such closed space and fog so low in the air, but I've got no choice."

* * *

Nami walked for a good half an hour before taking a small break. The trees were tall and thick as the vines, shrouded in moss and various plants she'd never seen before. She had yet to run into any animals, but she knew it was only a matter of time.

 _I don't know how long the log pose will stay locked on this island_ , she examined it carefully, _and we've really found ourselves in a jam this time…_

She couldn't get the image of Deity, limp over the vine seconds before everything went black, out of her head. His hair was longer than before, reaching his neck, and there was a clear scar on his stomach where his blue shirt had been lifted up.

 _How did Doctor Jomei find him? How long has Deity been unconscious? Well, not too long, if he was fed bad fruit, but…!_

She heard rustling in the leaves across from her. Cautiously she took her Clima-Tact out of her long pant pocket and readied to attack. A large beast prowled out of the leaves into view…

"…Chopper!"

"N-N-Nami!" Chopper reverted back to his small size and ran into her grateful arms. "I-I was s-so s-s-scared!"

She rubbed his round yellow hat and the back of his black jumpsuit. "I was so worried after seeing you fly off like that! Are you hurt?"

"I'm f-fine," he admitted as she put her weapon away, "I h-hit the top of a soft tree and climbed down. I've been looking everywhere for you guys. There are too many scents around to track you."

"I'm glad you weren't one of this island's wild animals, Chopper. So long as we're together, I'm sure we can handle anything."

" **SSSHHHHHOOOOOOOWWWWWW YYYYYYOOOOOUUUUUURRRSSSSSSEEEEELLLLLFFFFFF**."

"N-N-N-N-Nami?!" Chopper clung to her leg as she fell to her knees in shock, the strange voice echoing through the trees. "W-W-What was t-t-that?!"

"I-I-I don't know!"

Again she heard rustling, this time from a little ways down the dirt path they sat in fear upon. The leaves of a large bushes parted, and she felt her jaw drop.

 _…What…what is that thing?!_

The figure stood as tall as Franky, with light olive skin draped in a long black robe that hid its lower body. Long, messy hair as dark as burnt bark fell over its shoulders and back like a mane, leaves and twigs sticking out as though it were an avalanche. From its head stuck out two large, majestic antlers, far more complicated than Chopper's, with thin vines hanging from them like decorations.

 _A…a monster_ , Nami gawked at the creature's long, sharp nails as it turned to face them, _with such hideous claws – and it's coming right for us!_

Its horrific gaze, black backing to its hollow blue irises, fixed upon her and Chopper, and she could see fangs just poking out from under its thin lips.

"I-I-It's coming t-t-this w-way," Chopper was speaking in barely a whisper as the beast skulked towards them, "w-w-what do we d-do?!"

 _…I have no plan_ , she hugged Chopper tightly as the figure came within a few feet of them, _I don't know what to do…it's …it's going to eat us!_

The creature leaned in towards them, close enough for Nami to make out the smell of sap on its skin.

 _Someone, anyone, help!_

It opened its mouth to reveal that its fangs were as thin and viscous as a wild dog's.

 _It's over!_

"…Naaaaammmmiiiiii."

"…?" She opened her then shut eyes to find that the creature was not about to chow down on them. "…Did…did you just say my name?" She looked up into the creature's eyes and started to notice that there was no hostility in them.

 _That blue…looks so familiar…?!_

"…D," she reached her hand out and placed it against the figure's skin,

"Deity?"

 **I'm going to admit it right here, right now - there is no outline for this story. Just as what I did with the previous installment, I'm working off of natural instinct. Everything I write is based purely on how I think the characters would react at those times, and see how it all fits together in the end. Even the island is at random, but don't worry, there is a coherent story to follow.**

 **Thanks for reading as you await the next chapter!**


	3. Deity comes to Light! Fruit of the Heir?

He had no explanation for his appearance. He could barely explain how he had come to find himself on such a strange island. As he crouched in front of the quivering Nami and Chopper, Deity couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, though it came out like a small gust of cool autumn wind. Nami removed her hand but kept her eyes glued to him as Chopper wiped his nose on a leaf.

"D-Deity?" He could hear the confusion in her voice, something he greatly shared. "Is that really you?"

"Thank goodness," his voice was much deeper and came out like a soothing gust, "I didn't think you would recognize me."

"No way!" Chopper stood upright and gawked at the revelation. "Deity, y-you're alive?!"

"Yes. I'm sorry I wasn't able to contact you, but-"

"But you've been Doctor Jomei's patient this whole time," Nami finished his explanation as Chopper gave Deity a huge hug, "healing from your wounds…which were…?"

"Trust me," he sighed, "there's a lot of explaining to do."

* * *

"I see," Deity sat and rummaged through everything Chopper had told him as Nami braided his lengthy hair, "so we're trapped on this island, and everyone, including Doctor Jomei, have disappeared?"

Chopper swayed his legs below him as he sat upon an arched tree root. "We got the newspaper about your death a week ago, too. Someone by the name of Tsuki got a promotion for figuring out that we were involved."

"Tsuki? You mean Marine officer Tsuki?" Deity let out a low growl that caused the leaves around them to shiver. "That man deserves nothing more than a good, long while behind bars."

"He lied," Nami figured as she finished the braid, "I'll bet he was sent to keep track of us on our travels, and found out we were staying at your palace on Jupiter Island."

"And as you were all getting away, he shot me as I rang the dock bell."

"Shot you?!" Chopper's eyes widened as he pounded his fists together. "So that's what Doctor Jomei was healing. The nerve of that Tsuki!"

"This month has been so strange, and yet…peaceful." Deity closed his eyes and heard the sound of the waters he had been surrounded by for the past few weeks, engraved into his memories.

"After being shot for my supposed 'betrayal' of my family for helping you guys, I swam and swam until I thought I'd drown from exhaustion. When I awoke I was on Doctor Jomei's boathouse, wrapped in bandages; he said he had found me above to drop into the depths of the sea. Jupiter Island was far behind us, and he took me in as we made our way along. I never told him my name. I didn't want to put him in so much danger."

He glanced over to find Nami staring hard to him. "…If you're wondering about my appearance, you should know that you're guess is as good as mine. I remember falling asleep this morning on board the doctor's ship, and when I wake up again I find myself finishing this…transformation."

"…Doctor Jomei said that he fed you some bad fruit?"

"Oh, right," he could feel his stomach churning at the mere thought, "It was yesterday, if we assume that more than a day hasn't passed. I suppose we were running low on supplies, so doctor Jomei offered it to me. It took one bite and I nearly threw up after. I could only manage another two or three bites before I almost fainted."

"…I don't want you to freak out, Deity, but…I think you ate a Devil Fruit."

"…A D-Devil Fruit?!"

"Calm down," Nami held her arms out as the trees began to moan, "whatever this transformation is, it has to be the work of a Devil Fruit; they taste horrible, which is why you nearly threw up. You were not only caught off guard, but they're known for their awful tastes."

"You transformed, just like I do," Chopper reasoned, "so you must have a Zoan type fruit…but…I don't know what creature you are."

"It could be that this isn't his full form, unless…"

"Unless what, Nami?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. Let's try and find Robin. Hopefully she'll have some vague idea about what you've become, Deity. In the meantime, we should start making our way deeper into the jungle. Shokusei Island is known to be unforgiving."

"Are you sure, Nami? Maybe if we stay in the same place," Chopper looked around nervously, "the others will come to us. If we're all wondering in circles we'll never meet up."

"There's nothing to be afraid of Chopper."

"There isn't?"

Both she and Chopper gave Deity a confident looked. "Not with him around...I hope."

 _…I'm not so sure about this_ , Deity thought to himself as he stood, looming over them, _my father has told me about the Devil Fruits. They can be very dangerous if not controlled…and the way this forest makes me feel…like it's…speaking to me…_

* * *

"…Is he the one?"

"Yes. I've sensed his presence far stronger than any of the other intruders as of late. There's something about his essence that's been bothering the jungle. He's uneasy – and it's taking a toll on the plants and animals."

"What do you want us to do about him? There's a woman and reindeer by his side now."

"…Wait. Be patient…the time will come for our move."

 **Ooooohhhh, mysterious voices in the background that seem to be planning something for our heroes? Dun-dun-DUN!**

 **Hey, guys! I'm posting this chapter early because I'm going to be away for the weekend, and I wasn't about to leave you guys until Monday. So her we are, Nami and Chopper and poor old Deity (who will be taking over for the story's perspective now) with his new look. What kind of powers does he have? Was it the work of a Devil Fruit?**

 **You're just gonna have to wait for more chapters ;)**


	4. The Fog That Brings Them to a Standstill

"Robin? Robin, are you out there?" Chopper kept his nose held high as he tried to locate any familiar scents, walking around in his reindeer form. "Luffy? Zoro? Usopp? Anybody?"

Deity saw Nami bring out a strange device from her pocket. "Nami, is that your personal weapon?"

"It's my Clima-Tact, a gift from Usopp that allows me to control the temperature in combat." She twirled it around and broke it into three. "I don't want to use it in such a closed space with the fog so close above us, but with you not having a good grasp of your Devil Fruit powers, it may come in handy."

"Don't forget," Chopper grinned, "I can transform if we need to fight."

 **GGGGRRRRRRRR.**

"EEP!" Chopper leapt into the air in fear, shrinking back into his tiny form and clinging to Deity's antlers. "W-W-W-What was that?!"

"Sounded like a wolf," Nami readied her Clima-Tact, "be on your guard, you two. I don't know how big they grow on this island."

The growling came from above. All three looked up into the fog as swaying branches drifted in and out of their vision. Just as the sounds seemed to dissipate, Deity made out something big dropping towards them. "Is that…!"

The eight-legged creatures stopped inches in front of Nami's face, a huge tarantula with thick black fur and beady red eyes; on its back were multiple scars from previous battles.

"GAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Nami screamed at the top of her lungs as she fell back into Deity's robe. "WHY IS A TARANTULA GROWLING?! KILL IT KILL IT KILL IT-?!" She tripped back and fell beneath the robe. "?!"

 _…Oh. I forgot to mention._

"I, uh, seem to have lost my legs somewhere during the transformation."

"YOU DID WHAAAATTT?! THEN HOW ARE YOU WALKING!?"

"I'm floating!"

"FLOATING?!"

The tarantula seemed to grow tired of all the noise, and quickly ascended back into the trees with its front legs over its ears. As Chopper climbed back down onto the dirt Nami gingerly lifted up part of the long black robe that had mysteriously replaced Deity's clothes. "You…you have no legs!"

"WAH!" Chopper stuck to Nami's side. "You're a ghost!"

 _…So_ , he watched the two of them begin to sob in terror, _these two are rally part of the infamous Straw Hat Pirates? The ones Doctor Jomei was telling me about…_

* * *

"They burned the flag?!" Deity felt his heart race as he bolted upright at the stories Jomei told him as evening rolled in on the sea. "But that would mean…wouldn't it?"

"Yes," the doctor replied as he replaced the prince's bandages, "in order to save one of their own, they were willing to wage war on the Marines – and the world."

"But…doctor, doesn't that mean that everyone thinks that they're evil? When all they wanted to do was save their friend?"

"Their friend WAS the Nico Robin, known as the girl wanted for her deception of dozens of criminal organizations. It would be impossible to convince everyone that they were doing what they were for good intentions."

"…Do you think they're trustworthy?"

Jomei rubbed his chin as the boathouse smoothly drifted. "…I will only lose in the things which are swallowed by the sea."

"Meaning?"

He grinned. "I will hold faith in them until the oceans deem them unworthy."

* * *

 _As strange as Doctor Jomei was_ , Deity sighed, _he did seem kind…I hope he survived our crash…_

"…Uh, guys? The spider's been gone for five minutes."

"It wasn't a spider," Nami defended her tears, "it was a tarantula, and a HUGE one at that! It'd be a lot easier travelling through this jungle if we only knew what was above us!"

"There's no way," Chopper pointed up, "not with all that fog. Can't you move it with your weapon, Nami?"

"I don't think any amount of change in heat or wind is going to be able to rid us of this foggy roof."

 _Then why_ , Deity observed the fog as the other two discussed their options, _do I feel such a strange tug coming from above? Almost as if the fog…is taunting me…but fog can't taunt. It isn't alive, and I have no control…no…control…_

Slowly he raised his hand up, palm facing the fog. It began to sway to the beat of his heart as he focused on moving it by his will. "… **Mooooooovvvvvveeeee** ," his voice became soft as the wind and far deeper than he had ever been able to reach, " **rrrriiiiiissssseeeee**."

By his command the fog lifted, revealing many tarantulas above them, clinging to the branches as ginormous parrots flew overhead. He examined his palm, expecting there to be some cursed mark, and yet it was as it had been: olive in colour and attached to rugged claws. "…Say, Chopper, does your Devil Fruit allow you to do these things?"

"N-No way," the small reindeer seemed as shocked as he was, "maybe you're not a Zoan after all."

"Then why would he transform?" Nami scratched her head. "Maybe we're barking up the wrong tree; it might not have been a Devil Fruit…but then what would it have been otherwise…I don't understand…uh, Deity?"

"Hm?"

She pointed behind him, eyes widening as her legs shook. "The fog."

He turned and found himself taken back as the fog from above gathered into a large cloud along the path behind them, shifting and shaping into the gaping jaws of a huge hound.

 _There's the wolf!_

"D-D-Deity," Chopper yelped, "you've gotta turn your powers off!"

"I-I'm not doing this! Not on purpose!" He tried willing the fog away but it only grew in stature. "I'm not in control!"

The fog hound dove towards them, widening its mouth before snapping it shut and enveloping them in its thick mist. Deity could hear Nami and Chopper screaming, but his sight was blocked.

 _I can't see or feel anything around me!_

"Nami?! Chopper?!"

"Help us, Deity!"

 _I need to stop this! Stop! Enough!_

" **EEEENNNNOOOOUUUUUGGGGHHHH!** " He rose his head and let out a mighty roar, sending the fog surrounding him whipping away in a shockwave of force. His braid came undone as he looked around to find the fog hound gone.

 _…And so are Nami and Chopper_ , he realized as a quiet settled.

 _I've lost them!_

 **And so the plot - and the fog - begins to thicken! How will Deity be able to find them and the other Straw Hats? Well...I'm still working that out. Again, I'm sort of just letting things run their course here. I'm not going to make the story too long, and I do know how I want to have it end, but for the mean time, it's fun to let our protagonist wander around with his strange new powers, trying to figure out how to handle everything he does and does not know about Luffy and the others.**

 **Until the next chapter!**


	5. A Monsterous Reunion! Wait, Attack?

All of the nerves Deity had begun to calm in the company of Nami and Chopper tangled once again as he wandered the jungle of Shokusei Island alone, feeling more isolated than he had ever wanted. His claws and fangs felt heavy as his wild hair dripped sap and dried leaves behind his robe.

 _I don't understand_ , he decided to not think aloud, in fear of other creatures, _I couldn't have possibly caused that fog…could I? Does that mean my Devil Fruit power controls fog? No, I wouldn't have turned into this…this monster if it was._

There were no footprints to follow, and no signs of his friends in the tree branches above where the giant scarred tarantulas scurried. He floated along, wishing for the familiar feeling of his feet against the cool dirt as the fog descended upon the landscape.

"Maybe I ate two fruits," he spent his time trying to come up with some feasible explanation, "and blended the creatures together…I could be part reindeer, part…plant? Part deer, part…ghost? Perhaps Chopper was right…?"

He felt the vines on his antlers being tugged at. He glanced up at tiny hummingbirds with silver and aqua wings and beaks likes bronze swords, resting on them as if they were branches.

"…At least someone is enjoying my transformation," he lifted a claw towards the birds and found them unfazed as he rubbed their bellies, "maybe I'm a tree person…but then, why would I lose the use of my legs?"

"Come on, Robin," a familiar voice came from ahead of the path, through the thicker trees, "what do you mean you don't think we'll find a yeti around here? It's in the wild, and I totally felt a cold breeze a few minutes ago!"

 _…Luffy…that's Luffy's voice! And he must be with Robin! I should…wait_ , he looked down at his hands again, _if they see me like this, won't they just be afraid like Nami and Chopper were?_

Now there were footsteps. Deity hovered behind a large bush of bright blue berries as Luffy stepped onto the path nearby. Behind him came Robin in a dark blue tank and black leather coprees, her hair in pigtails and her sneakers matted with mud. "I'm sorry, Luffy, but yetis are known to live only in far colder conditions, such as places with ice and snow."

"Aww, man," Luffy put out a pouty face, "and I wanted to ask one to join our crew."

 _…His crew IS odd enough_ , Deity agreed as the birds of his antlers reached for the berries, _but…why a yeti?_

"Fine, forget the yeti," Luffy looked around the jungle before him and thought hard, "I'll just find another totally amazing, spectacularly awesome creature to join my crew!"

"Ha-ha, you do that, captain. Just make sure it doesn't want to eat any of us."

"Eat…eat…now that you mention it, I'm starving! And we lost the ship with all the food, too…and where is Sanji…ooh, berries!"

 _Oh no_ , Deity slid back so he was right behind the bush as tall as himself, _not these berries, Luffy!_

"They look yummy," Luffy stretched his legs to reach the top of the bush, "you want some, Robin?"

"I'm fine," she stayed on the path, "but don't eat too many."

Through the tiny branches Deity could see Luffy's excited face as he gobbled down berry after berry. "…"

"Man, these taste like sugar! Weird, huh, Robin?"

"I'll admit, most of the pants and life here are beyond my knowledge. It's like a hidden oasis of dangerous beasts and fantastical foods."

There weren't many berries left now. The hummingbirds scattered into the air, catching Robin's eye. "…Is there something behind that bush, Luffy?"

"Behind it? Gee, I didn't check."

 _No, no, no!_

"Wait!"

Luffy's hand stopped halfway through the bush. "A voice…?"

Deity hadn't meant to speak; now he knew he had no choice. "Luffy…please, don't."

"…Deity?" There was a clear pain in Luffy's eyes as he peered through the leaves and branches, straining to catch sight of the speaker. "Why do I hear Deity's voice?"

"…It is me, Luffy. I am Deity, but…"

"Deity?! No way! The newspaper said-"

"It was all a huge misunderstanding, believe me. I never meant for you guys to get hurt. I wanted you to escape before Marine Officer Tsuki could hunt you down. That's why I rang the dock bell…I'm sorry."

"It is you, isn't it?" It almost hurt to see Luffy's hopeful smile widen. "Come out here, Deity, I want to see-"

"DON'T!"

Luffy toppled back beside Robin at the sound of Deity's screech. "Ye-ow! What was that for?!"

"I'm sorry, but…I didn't want you to see."

"Deity?" Robin took as light a step forward as she could. "How on earth…Nami."

 _What?_

"I heard Nami," the archeologist put the pieces together in her mind, "scream out someone's name as the vines took our ships…could she have been screaming 'Deity' at Jomei's ship?"

"…Doctor Jomei saved me. I was on his ship when it crashed."

"So you're alive?!" Luffy jumped to his feet. "That's great, Deity! Now come out here!"

"So you can kill me, like Nami said you would?"

"Nah – I'll kill you once I'm done being so thrilled!"

 _How is that any better?!_

"...Promise you won't run away."

"Why would we run?"

"…Because, for some reason," he lowered his gaze, "I look…different."

"Don't worry," Luffy assured the young prince, "we won't run, I super-duper-promise!"

"…Well-!"

From a tug in his arm muscles came the sounds of rustling leaves, and before him the berry bush split in two, revealing his once hidden image to the pirates. Luffy went agape as Robin gasped. "I don't believe it!"

"It's true, Robin, I-"

"Luffy, stand back!"

 _What is she doing? Why is she crossing her arms like that?_

"What are you talking about, Robin?" Luffy stared at her like she was out of her mind. "Don't attack Deity just because he hasn't gotten a haircut!"

 _…That's the least of my problems…attack?!_

"That's not Deity, Luffy," Robin glared at Deity,

"that's an Erlking!"

 **And so his creature transformation is finally revealed! It took forever trying to find a Devil Fruit power that hadn't been used in another fanfiction, so I had to go waaaaay back into all sorts of old fairy tale characters. I don't think I've ever met a single person that's heard of the Erlking, which gives me plenty of room to improvise with its design and powers! If you want to search up information about it, that's fine, but there isn't much. Robin will explain the basics in the upcoming chapters; it may also give a clue as to why she's suddenly on the offensive.**

 **Hold on until the next chapter!**


	6. An Explanation And the Swift Chef!

_A…an Erlking?_ Deity stood frozen in place as Robin readied a mystery attack, Luffy glancing between her and him for answers. _I've never heard that word before._

"Robin, wait," Luffy tried to talk to her, "what's an Elkling?"

"An _Erlking_ ," she explained, never taking her eyes off Deity, "a terrifying spirit of the forest that is said to steal away children using its control over nature – it's supposed to be nothing more than a myth. If we're not careful, it'll take us by surprise and devour our souls!"

"But…we're not children."

"Everyone is someone child's. The Erlking will not care what age we are."

"Whoa, really?!" Luffy's eyes went shiny as he gawked at Deity's form. "Hey, wanna join my crew instead of eating us alive?!"

"Wait, Robin," Deity held his hands up in defense, "this isn't what it looks like-"

" _Sies Fleur_!"

He felt his arms pulled against his sides as six new arms sprouted from his back, wrapping around and strapping him up tight. "T-This is the Flower-Flower Fruit!"

"Your trickery won't fool me, Erlking," she spoke in a monotonous tone, "you may have found a way to read our minds and learn Deity's voice, but I will not follow you to my death!"

 _…Death?_

"Whelp, if he's going to try and eat us," Luffy pulled his own arm back, fist clutched, "then I might as well put up a descent fight!"

"Please," Deity pleaded, "no!"

 _Is the Erlking truly that horrible?!_

" _Gum-Gum_ ," Luffy let his fist whip out, right for Deity's legs, " _no pistol_!" His arms reached the lower part of Deity's robe – and sailed right through.

"Huh?!" Luffy retracted his arm in surprise. "Hey, where are his legs?"

 _…I have no choice. I can't let them hurt me! Not before I find out what happened to Nami and Chopper!_

" **STOP THEM** ," he commanded the forest around him, " **PLEASE**!"

Loud cawing came from the fog above. Luffy's eyes went wider than humanly possible as one of the parrots from before, with wings grey like smoke and rounded beaks like diamond, dove down and flew along the path, directly for the pirate pair.

"Look out, Robin!" Luffy grabbed her and jumped out of the way as the parrot soared past; Deity felt the arms around him vanish in the midst of the surprise attack.

 _So I have been controlling everything around us this entire time?! What sort of Devil Fruit power is this?!_

"We can't let him find the others," Robin spoke to Luffy loud enough for Deity to hear, "hurry!"

"Why do you want me out of the way do badly?!"

"I've heard the tales about your kind," she admitted as she crossed her arms again, "how you whisk away the innocent into the dead of night, leaving only one's cold, lifeless corpse behind; and then there are times when the body completely disappears into the fog you drag around with you, where your victims are said to be lured away into the land of the dead."

"…Fog," Deity felt his voice go weak, "lured away…by fog…into…d-death…Nami…Chopper!"

"Wait a minute," Luffy shook a vine off his leg as Deity dropped to his knees (if he had any), "you know Nami and Chopper?"

"I," he placed his hands on the ground as his mind spun, "I lost them…in the fog…"

"No," Robin let out a small gasp, "don't tell me…you've already devoured them?!"

"But I didn't-"

" _Sies Fleur_!"

Arms grew out of the ground and clamped onto his arms, pinning him in place. "Luffy, now, while he's trapped!"

 _…I did this…I lost Nami and Chopper…al because I couldn't control my powers!_

He felt tears begin to form in the corners of his eyes as he heard Luffy wind up. " _Gum-Gum_ …"

 _These powers are evil! I don't want them anymore! Why did I have to eat that stupid fruit?!_

Robin's summoned arms loosened their grip, and as he looked up to her face, a tingling feeling ran down his back. As he saw the growing astonishment of her expression he felt his antlers and hair shrink down, his robe beginning to disappear.

 _I…I'm…_

"- _no pistol_!"

"Luffy," Robin tried to cut him off, "no, wait!"

 _I deserve it._

 **SMACK!**

"…?" Deity looked up, confused as to where Luffy's punch went – until he saw the leg that had caught it before him. "…Sanji?"

"Oh, Deity," Robin's hand covered her mouth, "I'm so sorry."

"What?!" Luffy's arm shrunk back as he held his head. "Man, this is so confusing!"

"It's simple, actually," Sanji dropped and stomped down on his cigarette, "nothing more than a case of mistaken identity."

"…That," Deity wasn't sure if he was happy to see himself back to his regular form or not, "won't bring back…Nami…or…and…Cho…Chop," a sudden fatigue came over him as he flopped onto the dirt, "b…ack…"

"He saw the trio look down at him as they shook his arms, but his hearing and vision were becoming blurry. "Deity? Hey, stay with us!"

 _…I really…am a monster…_

* * *

 _…Why do I smell…tossed salad?_

"…Doctor Jomei," Deity sat up despite his pound headache, "it's really you-?!"

Sanji gave him a sad smile and handed over a bowl of leaves and fruits. "Sorry, Deity. I haven't seen the old man since he first showed up alongside the Sunny."

He and the others now sat around a small fire, Robin brushing through her hair as Luffy gobbled down serving after serving of the giant salad in front of Sanji. "More, please!"

"You've had more than enough, greedy!"

"Whatever," Luffy grumbled before catching Deity's awakening for the first time, "oh, Deity, you're up!" He reached a hand over and pat him on the head a few times. "Glad to see you're doing well!"

"He may be," Robin got the group's attention as her gaze fell to Deity, "but…who's to say the same has become of Nami and Chopper…if they've truly been sucked into the land of death by Deity's Erlking powers."

 **And so we have the truth. I read an old story that Robin will explain in the next chapter that is the origins of the Erlking character; it intrigued me so much that I worked it around into a Devil Fruit. How far will his powers go? We'll have to see. As for Robin straight up attacking Deity without listening to his reasoning? We all know how deep of a reader she is, and the things she's seen on her travels must have been monstrous. She's also very protective of the crew. When you find yourself facing a creature known to drag children into the land of the dead, you want to do all you can to keep them safe, even if it means not listening to the other side at first.**

 **Until the next chapter!**


	7. Rarest Zoan Fruit that Breaks the Fog!

"I didn't mean to," Deity gave up all his honesty to the others, "I didn't know what I could do…not that an apology will help any…not if they're really dead…"

"Nami and Chopper wouldn't die so easily," Luffy huffed, "they're both really strong!"

"But we're talking about magical powers," Sanji reminded them, "aren't we?"

"…I think I ate a Devil Fruit."

"What?!"

Robin nodded her head. "I had the same suspicions. Didn't Doctor Jomei say something about feeding you some bad fruit?"

"It tasted terrible, but I wasn't actually sick from eating it."

Sanji motioned for Deity to start eating the tossed salad. "And you didn't have an allergic reaction?"

"No, nothing of the kind."

"…Then there can be only one explanation."

Everyone's eyes were glued to Robin as she took a deep breath.

"…Deity has digested a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit."

 _Mythical Zoan…oh!_

"You said that the Erlking was something out of a myth," he remembered correctly as he slowly ate, "and that you had only heard tales of its powers."

"I remember reading an old short story when I was a child. It tells the tale of a father and his son riding through the forest at night as they head home; as the child begins to hear and see things the father doesn't, they arrive home at last, only for the father to find that his son has died. The Erlking had taken his soul during their travels."

"…And…that's what I become…a child killer?"

"The Erlking from the story was a child killer. You are a prince thought dead by the world that accidentally ate a Devil Fruit and gained all the powers of a child killer, without the desire for murder."

"There, you see?" Luffy crossed his arms and laughed. "You're a good child killer!"

Sanji smacked Luffy upside the head. "You idiot! Enough with the child killer title!"

 _I'm certainly glad I didn't head for the water, then_ , Deity finished half his salad before giving up on eating, his stomach too twisted from all the information, _but it still leaves one huge question._

"…What have I done to Nami and Chopper?"

Robin placed her own bowl down. "What exactly happened once you found them, Deity?"

He explained how they had explained the Straw Hat's travels up until the island, and how he had been shot and saved by Jomei. When he came to the fog hound all eyes were intensely looking from face to face in confusion.

"A fog hound, you say?" Sanji tapped his cigarette curiously. "So once you called the fog off, they were gone, no footprints…that doesn't sound good."

"What about the spiders?"

The trio stared at Luffy as he pointed upwards. "Maybe the spiders just took them up when you weren't looking?"

Robin took the idea quiet seriously. "That would mean that they knew the fog was going to attack you, Deity, and that they would have the chance to take Nami and Chopper…almost as if it were planned ahead."

Luffy jumped to his feet and stretched. "Guess we had better ask those big spiders what they know, then! They're just above us, right?"

"We need to be careful, Luffy. If those tarantulas are smart enough to plan out a kidnapping, then they're smart enough to evade our attempts to find them."

"It's fine. Hey, Deity, think you can move the fog for me?"

"I-I'll try," Deity stood and reached his hand out, "I think I can start to get the hang of this."

"Zoan fruits can be tedious," Robin and Sanji joined them as the latter stomped the fire out, "but under your control in a few hours. You've been asleep for a while now, so…"

"Ooh, ooh," Luffy jumped around, "do the half-beast thing Chopper does! Like, go halfway!"

 _…Halfway…I suppose that would mean…_

He felt a soft tingling over his skin as it took a light olive hue, his hair growing coarser and dripping with sap as tiny antlers poked out of his head. "…Like this?"

"Whoa, awesome," Luffy ran over beside him, "but, why is there honey coming out of your hair? You're gonna attract bees doing that."

"I can't control that!"

Robin shrugged. "It all comes with the transformation into an Erlking. There has never been a set image of one written in stone, but from the looks of things, the species seems to integrate the forest into its very being, such as the sap and antlers."

 _As great as that is_ , Deity pondered as Luffy drank some of the sap, _for the tarantulas to plan a kidnapping, knowing that I had control over the fog…is there something about my relation to the jungle that threatens them?_

"…Luffy, would you stop drinking the sap?!"

"No," Luffy bonked Deity on the head, "you owe me after making us all think you were dead."

"I couldn't help it."

"Too late to apologize! Now get rid of that fog!"

Deity held his hand up again and focused on the swirling and slow movement of the thick mist. "… **Move**."

 _My voice doesn't stretch out anymore!_

The fog rolled away, revealing criss-crossing branches high above them. Luffy grabbed Deity and shot his arm out, wrapping it around the lowest branch. "Here we go, off to find our friends!"

"Wait, Luffy," Deity tried to react as they shot up, "what if it's a trap?!"

"Ha-ha, then we're in serious trouble!"

 _THAT'S NOT THE ANSWER I WANTED!_

They landed on the branch and waited for Robin to fly her and Sanji up beside them. "Take your time, idiot," Sanji conked Luffy, "we don't want to suffer the same fate as Nami and Chopper, do we?"

"No."

"Then think before you act!"

"Over there," Robin glanced to the far right, "I see one!"

Deity recognized the scarring on the back of the eight-legged creature. "It's definitely one of them."

"Then we have to follow it."

 _They better have Nami and Chopper_ , Deity realized as he did his best to follow the others over the branches, _because if they don't…then it means that I really did lose them in the realm of the dead!_

 **Guess who's posting at 10:30 at night? Moi! I just started a new summer course with lots and lots and lots...and LOTS of reading and writing, so I'm sorry if chapters come out a day late or so. It isn't because I'm losing interest, but my schedule is going to take some getting used to. Anyway, we're getting into the thick of the mystery of Shokusei Island, where Deity and our heroes will soon find themselves facing fantastical people!**

 **Until the next chapter!**


	8. Luffy Trapped! A Fairy Odd Meeting!

"Don't let it get away," Robin urged the men as they leapt from branch to branch, the ground far below, "they're our only chance of finding the others!"

 _They're so fast_ , Deity was having a very hard time jumping from branch to branch with the same energy his companions did, _maybe if I could float I could keep up_.

"Hey, spiders!" Luffy whipped an arm out towards them as they tried to scramble away. "Give us back our friends!" He managed to grab one around the back legs. "GOTCHA!"

"If you've hurt one hair on Nami-swan's precious head," Sanji leapt at it, "I'm going to skewer you over the flames of my eternal love, you sicko!" He spun around and landed a hard kick on its scarred back.

"…OW," he jumped back down beside Deity and held his leg, "why is it so hard?!"

"Be careful," Robin and Luffy joined them as the tarantula turned, its red eyes piercing the slowly lifting fog, "we don't have any idea how any of the creatures on this island hunt or survive."

"We'll be fine," Luffy did a few sit-ups and smirked, "just beat the answer out of it!" He ran right at it, little space between them. "We've got this!"

The tarantula opened its mouth, tiny fangs gleaming, and spit out a large wad of goo. It smacked into Luffy, sending him flying back and gluing him to a tree. "Hey, no fair! Spiders don't shoot web out of their mouths, they shoot it out of their BUTTS! CHEATER!"

The tarantula made a low moaning sound, and Deity gawked as its legs grew longer. It hopped and turned upside down, its back in the air and heading down for them. Before he could react, he felt Sanji's foot in his stomach, and flew back onto another branch as the creature smashed into the cook, breaking the branches below and sending them falling into the fog below.

"Sanji!" Deity got to his feet, ignoring the pain in his gut. "Where are you?! Are you okay…!"

He squinted to see a large gathering of thick webbing way ahead in the branches, where tarantulas from afar crawled around. He could feel their frustration.

 _They must have heard the sound of their friend fighting. They could reach here in a matter of minutes!_

"Deity," Robin crossed her arms, "go. Find Nami and Chopper, and see if you can free Luffy." She jumped down into the fog before he could respond. He didn't hear them land, partially due to Luffy's constant yelling, but he knew that they had a plan.

 _…Well, Robin has a plan, at the very least._

"Deity," Luffy was struggling in the webbing goo, "use your powers and get me out of here!"

"I don't know what I can do," he stood up and moved closer to the tree, "aside from controlling the fog."

"Get the fog to free me!"

"That won't work!"

"Get the spiders to do it, then!"

"I…they won't listen…"

 _Robin said that the Erlking controlled the forest…I know this is a jungle, but…could I…?_

"…Wait here for a moment, Luffy," Deity ran off over the branches, careful not to fall into the fog, "I'll be back!"

"Bring me meat!"

 _How can he think about his stomach at a time like this?!_

* * *

"…Wow."

Deity had no other words for the scene before them. Thick webbing reached over all the branches, as though it were a whole other world. The scarred tarantulas were still and quiet, watching over tiny eggs ready to bring about the next generation.

 _…Nami! Chopper!_

He could see two wrapped figures wriggling about a few feet from him, one smaller than the other, stuck to a wall of webbing. A larger tarantula guarded them, away from the others, and he had a strong gut feeling that it wasn't going to be easy trying to convince it to work with him.

 _I've got no other choice. If I try to fight them, I might hurt the others._

"…E-Excuse me?"

The tarantula turned as Deity walked into its view, holding his arms out in an attempt to show his peaceful intentions. "Hi, there, big fellow. Um…I was wondering what you plan to do to those two cocoons behind you."

It remained silent.

"…You don't look like you want to devour them."

No response.

"…Do you think…maybe, if it's not too much trouble…you could quite possibly let them go free?"

"Unbelievable," a whiney voice echoed through the webs, "we crashed two whole ships for this?!"

From behind one of the large tarantulas hovered out a young black woman, bright pink hair in a tight long pigtail and wearing a dress of leaves; a pair of dragonfly wings were beating at her back, keeping her afloat.

"…Are," Deity tried to remember if he had hit his head somewhere, "are you…a fairy?"

"DUH! And a mad one, at that," she crossed her arms, covered in tiny webs, "you are so not the king we were looking for."

 _King…looking for…?!_

"You crashed the ships?! Why would you do that," he felt his own frustration growing, "where is Doctor Jomei and the others?"

"Gosh, if I had to guess," she shrugged, rolling her bright hazel eyes, "dead. Eaten, or broken on impact in the jungle."

 _…The others_ , he felt an immediate downcast in his emotions, _they would have survived…but the doctor…_

"…Why? What king were you searching for?"

The fairy chuckled. "Are you serious? You can't figure it out? This jungle is a mess, and my kind are always having to crash ships in order to keep all the animals and plants here from eating our own. It's too much work! So when we heard from the passing seagulls that one of your ships had the Erlking-Erlking Devil Fruit, we had to find it – and instead we got you."

"…You sunk the ships…just to find me?"

"Yeah!" She waved her arms around as if it were the most obvious reason. "So now we can crown you king of Shokusei Island and rule over everything in sight!"

"Oh…YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT?!"

 **A new job? Whoo-hoo! JK, things aren't looking good for the crew. I know my fairies are probably going to be aesthetically bland compared to the creatures of the forest, but I wanted them to be simple and familiar, what with the leafy clothing and wings. This chapter is also coming out late because of all the reading I've got to do for my summer course -_-**

 **Thanks for reading, and until next time!**


	9. Fairy Lil Whips Into Action!

"It's simple, your highness," the fairy girl took a bow, "you can control everything around here, so it's only obvious that you become our ruler. That way, you can scare off all these creepy creatures and let us fairies live in peace!"

The tarantulas began to shuffles about anxiously as Deity took the fairy's explanation in. "You sunk the Thousand Sunny and Doctor Jomei's boathouse just so your lives would be easier?"

"You clearly don't understand," the fairy flew over to him and whispered into his ear, "the jungle expects my people to feed it, but we're running out of options. If we don't follows its commands, we'll be devoured ourselves!"

Muffled cries came from Nami and Chopper's cocoons. "You can't let them eat my friends!"

"They're the price of bringing you here!"

"No," he pushed her away, "I won't let you feed them to the tarantulas!"

"But they're pirates, right?"

"So? That doesn't mean they're evil!" He turned to the tarantula, growing out his antlers and taking an olive skin tone. " **Let them go**."

The tarantula seemed to show sudden fear of him, and made quick work of the cocoons, freeing its prisoners.

"…Huh?! U-Usopp?! D-Doctor Jomei!"

"Uh," Usopp sap up in his shorts and gazed around as Jomei got to his feet, "what happened…oh, hey, Deity. Hello, fairy lady and giant tarantulas…g-g-g-giant tarantulas! Fairy?! DEITY?! WITH ANTLERS?!"

"Thank goodness," Jomei grinned, wrinkle to wrinkle, "I'm so glad you're alright, boy…but what's with this 'Deity' business, young man?"

"Oh, good," Usopp swayed back and forth as is drunk, "I'm only dreaming. I'm going to wake up on the Sunny, and everyone will be there and we'll have a party and fish and-"

"Usopp," Deity sighed, "it's really me. You're not asleep, trust us."

"…Oh…then…D-D-D-Deity," he lunged and wrapped Deity up in a huge hug as tears streamed down his shuddering face, "I-I-I knew I r-r-recognized your f-f-face! W-We thought you were d-d-d-d-d-dead!"

"…Doctor Jomei," I spoke over the tears, "I'm afraid there's a lot I have to explain to you."

"Indeed, boy, indeed."

"Excellent, wonderful, magnificent!" The young fairy spun around with a big grin plastered to her cheeks. "Now that is what I want to see! Look at their fear!"

It was true enough. Every tarantula was shivering, all eyes on Deity as he gently removed Usopp. "…I have a friend back there trapped with your web. Please…will you free him?"

Despite not using his full on Erlking voice, the tarantulas cooperated and moved back along the branches towards where he had left Luffy. "Uh, Deity?" Usopp wiped his eyes. "What's going on?"

"Jomei fed me the Erlking-Erlking fruit yesterday, and now I have control over various parts of the forest…er, jungle."

"Ah…the what-what fruit?"

"Oh, dear," Jomei's voice went soft as he clicked his tongue, "I thought it had been fruit gone bad…this is all my fault. All this time, after finding that fruit while fishing near that wreckage…this means what I think it means, doesn't it? You can no longer swim?"

"Won't need to," the fairy winked, "since he'll be spending all his time in the center of the village, away from the water."

"Hold on," Deity firmly reminded the stranger, "we first need to find Nami and Chopper. And Sanji and Robin vanished into the fog fighting another tarantula. And the others are still wandering around the jungle as lost as ever – and lastly, I haven't even agreed to join your village!"

"…I forgot to tell you my name. I'm Lil," she snapped her fingers, "and he's Bona."

"…Bona?"

"My partner."

 _Partner-?!_

Deity felt two strong arms grab his waist and lift him up. "Wha-?"

"WAH!" Usopp tripped and fell back beside the stunned doctor. "A giant man fairy!"

Deity looked over his shoulder at the very tall, dark skinned bald man in a leafy toga, large wings like a beige moth's attached to his broad back. There was a glassiness to his eyes that gave him a shock. "…You're blind."

"Yes," Bona replied in a deep, deep voice, "but I have excellent tracking skills."

"Once you see the village you'll fall in love," Lila giggled, "just like that green haired swordsman that's been drinking the men out of house and home!"

"Are you serious?!" Usopp scratched his head. "How did a guy with such terrible direction like Zoro find the safe zone first?"

"Doesn't matter. He won't be able to handle our booze for much longer, and once he's out cold, we're feeding him to the cyclops."

"THERE ARE CYCLOPS IN THIS JUNGLE?!"

"You can't," Deity wriggled in Bona's grip, "I'm not going to be your king!"

"You will come," Bona held him in one hand, "and you will lead."

"That's not how things work, fairy man!"

 _Luffy!_

A quick fist hit Bona on the back of the spine, freeing Deity as Luffy swung out and between them. "I have to kill him first for lying about his death!"

 _Good to see we're on healthy terms._

Lil's cheeks went red. "How dare you! Bona, crush him! I'll take the king to our village."

"No," Deity felt his body grow and the thick black robe flow from his shoulder, "you won't be taking me. I will fight if you try anything."

"Oh, yeah," Usopp pulled his slingshot out, "it's three against two!"

"And I toss a mean salad."

"Not needed, doctor!"

Lil fluttered back nervously as Deity neared her, looming over her small frame. "What will you do?"

"…I," she looked around, "I'm going to…to show you the true power of our kind!"

 _Power…like how they took the ships!_

She raised her hands as rumbling came from beneath the trees. "My power may not be enough to scare of creatures of the jungle away, but it can certainly put you in your place!"

"I'd rather not alarm anyone," Doctor Jomei glanced through the webs at their feet, "but we're about to have a second round with those troublesome vines!"

 **The story's over halfway done now, and it's been fun, despite all the readings I have for my Summer course. I'm surprised I've made it this far, considering that I hadn't had any plans at first to make a sequel to "A Prince's Ponderings" until it's last chapter. I just fell in love with Deity's acceptance and formed bond with the Straw Hats, and thought he needed a second chance after all this time.**

 **Until the next chapter!**


	10. Deity Has a Plan? For Their Happiness!

"Deity," Luffy got his fists ready as Bona approached, "take care of the vines!"

"You can't," Lil gritted her teeth, "you don't know how to communicate with the jungle nearly as well as I do!"

"You brought me here to be your ruler," Deity had now fully turned into his Erlking form, "meaning that you knew I would have the power to control this jungle."

"Only what we need you to control!"

"If I don't stop these vines, all of my friends will be hurt! I would call this the perfect time to show you my power!"

"GAH," Usopp grabbed Doctor Jomei and jumped out of the way as a vine broke through the branches at their feet, "hurry up with that whole power and control thing, Deity…WHOA, YOU'RE HUGE, DUDE!"

" **Enough** ," Deity held his sickly hand out towards the vines as they began to creep through the branches and grab at their legs, " **I am in control**!"

Lil clapped her hands together. "No, I am!"

"You will listen to me!"

"No, me!"

 _…I…I know what to do_ , Deity shared a glance with Luffy, who gave him the thumbs up, _in order to make us all happy!_

"…I won't stay," he snapped his claws, bringing the vines to a halt, "not when I have so much power. If you will stop at nothing to drag me to your village…I'll just have to destroy it."

"Deity, no!" Usopp tossed Jomei onto his back and shot out burst after burst of flames. "What are you saying?!"

"I won't rule the weak," he continued as Luffy wrapped his arms around the enraged Bona, "nor will I be used by them."

"My people aren't weak!" Lil shot her arms up as the vines shook. "We have survived for generations amidst the horrors of Shokusei Island! You were going to protect us so that we may finally live in peace! Is that so much to ask?!"

"…Yes. I should hope you make it back before me, Lil…or your people will suffer."

She glared daggers into him for a moment, before flying off through the trees, farther North until she was out of their sight. Deity gave Usopp a sigh. "Think she bought it?"

"Man, and I thought I was the king of lies!"

"You monster," Bona clearly hadn't heard his comment as he ripped Luffy off and tossed him aside, "how dare you….raaaaaah!" He charged, and Deity only had seconds to react.

"Uh… **stop him**!"

 _WHAM!_

Everyone winced as the vines swatted Bona down like a fly, knocking him out cold. Luffy gave him a few pokes before shrugging. "I'm pretty sure he's alive. Sorta."

"Luffy!"

"What? I said sorta, didn't I?"

"Finally," Sanji ran up beside their captain as Robin soon joined them, "we got back – and it looks like we missed one heck of a brawl."

"Not really," Usopp let Jomei down, "Deity had it all under control."

"GUYS!"

The group turned to find a larger tarantula approaching, Nami and Chopper waving from its back. "We're here, guys!"

"NAMI-SWAN!" Sanji's eyes and cheeks went a flustered pink as he waved over-enthusiastically. "I'm so glad you're safe!"

 _And Chopper too, right?_

"The tarantula apologized to us for all the trouble," Chopper explained as Luffy waved the creature off, "and said that we were to be brought to the large beast. He meant Deity's Erlking form, of course!"

"Glad to see you're well, Doctor Jomei," Nami sighed, "I was so worried after seeing that vine crash through your boathouse!"

"I'm as chipper as always, dear," he rubbed his forehead, "though I do wish there was a cool breeze every so often up here. Nothing but heat and fog and vines."

"I sense a plan brewing, Deity," Robin gazed down at Bona, "any idea how we're going to get out of here alive?"

"I do," he shrunk back down to his human form, "I only hope we'll be able to find some way of transportation once we're done."

He began to explain his plan to everyone, and as he finished up they all shared a hearty nod of the head. "Sound about right?"

"Sounds good to me," Usopp grinned, "but it'll be up to our captain to give the consent."

Deity turned to Luffy, who slowly let a smile creep onto his face. "I like it. You'll make a great king someday, Deity."

"Heh, I guess. Alright, guys, let's go!"

* * *

"WAAAAHHHHHH," Franky broke down into tears that stained his bright red Hawaiian shirt, as Brooke politely offered him a hanky from the pocket of his blue shirt and black denims, "I can't believe that there was an entire civilization all these years that's never once met a real cyborg! Oh, the humanity of it all!"

"Please do come down, Franky," Brooke wiped his own non-existent tear away, "though I can see the sadness you bear."

"Both of you shut up," Zoro took another swig from his mug, his shirt gone and dark green pants stained by the grass, "and take a drink, will you?"

The small village the trio had stumbled upon in the midst of the large jungle was far more welcoming than they could have imagined. Every member of the fairy-winged people wore leaves for clothes and lived in small huts made of broken branches and dried sap. As Zoro competed against the men in round after round of drinks, Brooke took to trying his hand at blowing grass whistles without his lips as Franky showed off his abilities, gaining awe from the people.

"I do hope the others are safe," Brooke dropped a piece of grass as a small child fairy curiously poked their finger into his eyes socket, "this place has been nothing but trouble for my sword."

Murmurs rung through the crowds. Zoro looked up to see a young woman flying back down in front of them. "Who's this? Another member of the village?"

She stepped forward and pointed at them. "You intruders are nothing but trouble. I should have never brought you here!"

" _You_ brought us here? Why go to all the trouble?"

"I thought…we thought…forget it," she stamped her foot down, "you're to leave the village this instant, or I'll have the lot of you…beheaded!"

 **Got any guesses as to what Deity's plan is for getting them off the island? The story is beginning to wrap up, which feels so strange. After waiting a year to write more about Deity, for it to be coming to an end makes it seem as though it's gone by so fast. My summer course is getting thicker, though, so I hope to finish it up nice and clean before exam time.**

 **Until the next chapter!**


	11. Village Under Attack! Straw Hats, Run?

" _Beheaded_?!" Brooke shook his head and began to run around. "She can't do that, can she?! Is this one of your customs?! I'm not ready to die…again!"

"Shut it, strange talking skeleton with black fungi for hair," The pink haired fairy growled, "you're no longer welcome on our island!"

"My afro is not fungi!"

"Lil," an older woman spoke up, "whatever are you talking about? What do you mean you brought them here?"

"Don't tell me," Another murmured, "you did the sacrifice all by yourself?"

"I had to. I won't let anyone else in this village be weighed down by the guilt of feeding sailors to the jungle's depths."

"And where is Bona?"

"He was attacked," Lil gestured to Zoro, "by their comrades!"

Zoro put his mug down and wiped his face. "If he was attacked it was because you attacked first. Why did you bring us here and risk the destruction of the Sunny?"

Franky nodded. "The poor girl's been through a lot. Look at how the vines are growing around her!" He pointed behind him, where the Thousand Sunny sat in the branches of the trees, wrapped in greenery. "It'll take real work to fix the banisters, too. She wasn't ready to fly so far. Wrong gear."

"Take it," she sighed, "take it and go. I never want to see you or your monstrous friends ever again!"

"Hey, what on earth has got you so riled up?"

"No one threatens my village and gets away with it!"

"We didn't threaten your-"

"ZORO! ZOOORRRRROOOOO!"

"Chopper, Nami, Robin," Brooke spun in excitement as the reindeer dashed through the trees and skidded to a stop before them, the ladies hopping off, "I'm so glad you're alright!"

"Brooke, Franky," Nami glanced behind them, "and the Sunny! Thank goodness – let's get it out to sea as soon as possible! Even faster than that!"

Zoro stood and held onto his swords. "What's going on?"

"Yeah," Lil crossed her arms, "and where's the Erlking?"

"…Did you say Erlking?"

Robin examined the Sunny. "You've heard of it, Zoro."

"Yeah. An old friend of mine once told me the story. What does that have to do with us?"

"It's D-Deity!" Chopper was blubbering in an attempt to keep himself under control. "He a-ate the Erlking-Erlking f-fruit, and n-now he's g-g-gone mad, and w-wants to de-de-destroy this village!"

"No way," All three gawked, "he's alive?!"

"We need to leave," Robin advised them as villagers began to run back to their homes in terror, "or we'll be caught in the crossfire. I'll explain in detail on the way out."

"Are you mad?" Lil stomped her foot down for attention. "You'd leave us to perish?!"

Zoro caught the gleam in Nami's eyes.

 _…This is part of some sort of plan…_

He gave Franky and Brooke the same glance before letting his swords go. "It's not our problem. You tried to sink us, so deal with the consequences."

"You're all insane! You cowards!"

"As Zoro said," Franky shrugged, "not our problem."

" **Chiiiiillllllllllldreeeeeeeennnn**."

"IT'S HIM!" Chopper leapt into the Sunny. "RUN! HIDE!"

"No," Lil reached out to the pirates as they fled to the Sunny, "you wouldn't…you sicken me!"

" **Chiiiiillllldreeeennn** ," A monotonous voice melted off the leaves and hung in the fog as it trickled off the bark, " **Joooooooiiiiiiiinnn meeeeeeeee**."

"Keep the children inside," Lil called out to the villagers, "plug their ears!"

" **You dared to command me, the Erlking** ," the fog thickened around the village, hiding the Straw Hats and the Sunny from view, " **you must pay with your lives**."

Lil stood guard in front of the village. "You don't scare me, Deity. I know the truth…!"

"WAAAAAAAAH!"

Usopp, Luffy and Sanji raced out of the fog, screaming and waving their arms around. "He's way too strong!"

"He's grown! He's huge!"

"Nothing in the jungle is safe! He ate Bona whole!"

 _Bona…eaten…whole?_

The trio ran right past Lil without a second glance. "We're getting out of here!"

"Wait," Lil tried to get their attention, "won't you fight?!"

"No way," Luffy glanced back at her as they vanished into the fog, "it's your village!"

 _…It's my village…?!_

There was a rumble, soft but noticeable. Lil peered into the fog. "What was that…ah…ahh!"

Form out of the fog came an enormous hand, olive and dripping in sap, leaves and soil. It was as large as a hut, and it slammed onto the ground so hard, Lil had to take to hovering to keep from falling over. Another hand grabbed onto the top of a tree, wrapping thick fingers around it. Deity's Erlking face blew the fog away, and Lil nearly fell from shock.

 _He's bigger than the pirate ship!_

Deity had grown to gigantic proportions. From his hair fled tarantulas, and from his eyes dripped grimy water. " **You're a fool**."

"And you're a monster," Lil's wings sped up, "with a great set of acting skills. Acting all polite and nice before letting your true colours show."

" **I will not stand here and let you have your way. Fight me, or watch your pathetic village be crushed**."

"Why are you doing this? I brought you here, blame me. Don't take it out on my people!"

" **They're your people, Lil. You will share the responsibility. Won't they, great cyclops**?"

…Cyclops?

Two, three, four. Large, grey skinned cyclops stepped into view, wielding rocks and clubs of oak, their singular eyes trained on the village.

"…You…you can't," Lil clenched her fists, "I WON'T LET YOU!"

Clumps of vines burst from the ground around the village, creating a dome. She waited for the cyclops to react as the silence became still. Villagers poked their heads out from the doors and windows of the huts, including children.

"…Lil," one of the elder's creeped closer, "are they…are they gone?"

"…I don't think-"

 _BAM!_

A hole broke through the vines as one of Deity's fists smashed down on the elder.

"NOOO!"

 **Gosh, Erlking powers are fun. He may not be physically strong, but mind over matter and all that, right? I added cyclops because...I've been reading a lot of Percy Jackson...anyway, not important! What is important is that this story is wrapping up, and I'm still trying to figure out what's going to happen to our protagonist. Don't worry, I'll make it all work out, but sometimes it's really hard to let go of your babies ;-;**

 **Until the next chapter!**


	12. Surprise In Power! The Dream Means What?

All Lil's blood went to her ears, her head. Smoke filled the village from the impact. She slowly turned, fists clenched so hard her fingers dug into her palms.

"…No more."

The vines dispersed, and there stood Deity, feet before here, looming over her small figure. The cyclops walled them in. " **You have no idea what I've been through. You had no right to bring us here and harm my friends**."

"Your friends ran on you! You're such a monster even they don't want anything more to do with you!"

" **Good. Fewer bodies means less of a mess. Besides** ," his dark eyes were colder than ice, " _nothing here can possibly protect you_."

"…I can."

The cyclops snorted. " **You, Lil**?" Deity clipped his claws against each other. " **You brought me here to protect you. You caused so much trouble. What can you do**?"

 _Take the bait, Lil. You know what you have to do._

Lil loosened her hands. She took a deep breathe. The cyclops leaned in, waiting for her answer.

"… _GET AWAY FROM MY VILLAGE_!"

Deity couldn't count the few seconds it took for the cyclops to fall, vines wrapped around their legs and throats. Lil flew up to Deity's face until their noses nearly touched. "I'm not afraid of you."

" **Those cyclops will return. You need me**."

"No. I don't need you."

" **Prove it**."

Lil growled and, grabbing the front of Deity's black robe, pinned him to the ground. The cyclops moaned and began to rise until she stood on his chest and surveyed them. "You stand, and you _will_ fall again, you hear me?!"

The cyclops took a moment to overcome their shock before reluctantly bowing. "You see," she pointed to them, turning to Deity, "they will listen to…are you smiling?"

He couldn't help it. As the cyclops backed away, still covered in vines, he sat up and smirked. "If you don't need me to protect you, why do you need to fear the jungle?"

"Your voice…it's soft…I, I," Lil's head spun as the villagers came out of their huts, including the old man that she thought had been hit by the hand, "you did this…you did all of this."

"My, my," the elder whistled as the people took in the sight of the defeated cyclops, "they're not so big and scary now, are they?"

Lil stumbled off Deity, who rose and with a wave of his hand dissipated the fog around them. There sat the Sunny, cleaned of its vines and branches and patched up by Franky, who along with the rest of the crew waved from the banisters. "What? How? When?"

"I have to admit, I didn't know if it would work," Sanji lit another cigarette, "but it looks like the peaceful…well, almost peaceful tactic went all according to plan."

"P-Plan?"

"Say, now that they're tied up," Luffy licked his lips, "can we eat the cyclops?"

"No, you idiot!" Nami smacked him. "Deity could only get them to cooperate if we promised not to harm them."

"Oh, right…hey, we can get one to join the crew!"

" _Idiot_!"

"OW-OW!"

As if on cue the cyclops ran off, murmuring to each other as they frantically made as much distance between them and the village as possible. Children began coming up to Deity and grabbing at the bottom of his robe. "Are you gonna eat us?"

"Nah, I'm full."

"Whoa," Lil fell to her knees, "I don't believe this…you tricked me!"

"I had to, or you would have never stopped bugging me – and you would have never found a way to prove yourself to the jungle. Look," he pointed to the branches, where the scarred tarantulas were fleeing, "no one wants to touch you guys anymore."

"…Because of the vines."

"Because you stood up to them. You showed them who's in charge, right?"

"…Yeah," she fluttered to her feet, grinning, "I don't need some stupid Erlking anyway!"

"S-Stupid?"

From out of the trees stepped a tall figure, causing Lil's ears to perk up. "Bona!"

"I'm fine," he reassured the village as she zipped over and hugged him around the neck, "just a bruise or two."

Luffy cupped his hands over his mouth. "Sorry about that, big guy!"

"I'm done playing around, Bona," Lil pumped him on the chest, "from now one, I'll be the one to rule the jungle-er, we will be the ones to rule the jungle. All of us."

"Good," Deity sighed as Bona nodded in agreement, "looks like I'm off the hook."

And then he fainted for the second time that day.

* * *

 _Jupiter Island was a mess, People were rioting the castle, yelling and screaming of anarchy and chaos. Marine ships were docked in the bay as men tried helplessly to calm the people. The citizens were taking sides, fighting one another._

 _"The Navy is our ally!"_

 _"They've betrayed us! They nearly killed our beloved Prince!"_

 _Behind the castle doors stood his parents, clinging to one another as they gazed outside the window of the training area, his phoenix sword still hanging. There are three Marine officers behind them muttering to themselves._

 _"What will you have done to Officer Tsuki," his father asked of the men, "for his crime?"_

 _"Look at our son," his mother wailing, "Who we thought to be dead! If those pirate you've been hunting hadn't brought him back, we would have never been reunited!"_

 _Deity is in the room, but he can't speak or nod or even see his physical form. The officers glance at him. "The Straw Hats are a danger to the people," the taller one replied, "and your son was an accomplice in their escape."_

 _And then they began to argue. One of the officers reached for his mother's arm to calm her, but his father didn't take it well. He ridiculed the Marines. They accused Jupiter Island and its royal lineage of crimes punishable by death. The other royal families would be called in. One of them whispered to the other not to mention anything to the royal family of Alabasta._

 _He wanted to speak, to calm them down. He would leave and never return, but don't hurt his family. Don't bring his island to ruin._

 _One of the officers looked him dead in the eyes._

 _The violence would not end._

 _He'd killed them all._

 **Did you ever faint after helping a friend out and immediately have a vision of your home becoming a field of strife and anarchy? No? Well good, cuz we all need our beauty sleep. And what, no big fight to finish it off? I've taken a more peaceful approach. Deity has always been more of the diplomatic kind of ruler, with moments of power that have come from his new Devil Fruit powers. I never wanted him to be too violent, it's not his style. Having bad dreams that lead to life-changing decisions? That's more his style.**

 **Until the next chapter!**


	13. A Choice is Made in the Dead of Night

"STOP!"

"Whoa," Usopp sat beside him, beginning to pour a sweet-scented red drink into a mug, "at least let me start pouring."

The village was alive with charisma as fairies moved about with the Straw Hats, serving drink and food as they chatted and recalled previous journeys. Deity sat up and brushed grass off his elbows as Usopp handed him the mug. "Here, try it. It's like a mix of strawberry, banana and candy cane!"

"Deity," Chopper ran over with a couple small fairy children, "thank goodness! You've been asleep for over an hour, which really isn't that long, but still I'm glad you're okay and not dead, because that'd be terrible and-"

"Uh, Chopper, how much of the punch did you drink?"

"Oh, uh, well, let's see…I don't remember."

One of the children giggled. "He's had three mugs, to the brim!"

"H-Hey, shut up!"

 _It was just a dream_ , Deity tried to convince himself as the children ran off to Sanji, who was helping to make a giant tossed salad with Doctor Jomei, _but I get the feeling it rung with truth. If I return…_

 _BOP!_

"Ah," he rubbed his head where Lil had hit him as she knelt at his side, "what was that for?"

"For tricking me."

"It showed you the truth, didn't it? That you don't need outsiders, or to fear the jungle anymore."

"…Whatever," she crossed her arms, "you risked being crushed by the cyclops…but…I suppose there is some good to it."

"…You've had these powers for a while, right?"

"Since I was born. Only one fairy each generation is gifted with such magic."

"You know," Robin commented from across a small fire, "we've met someone with a Devil Fruit similar to that power. I wonder if its powers were based off of the relation of where the fruits came from and the world around it."

"It's not much. All I do is weave vines around here and there."

"I wonder, then. Why have you never tried to take control before?"

Lil's gaze fell to the grass as she ran her fingers through it. "…We've tried. I mean, previous gifted fairies have tried. All have failed."

"You knew them?"

"No, but just because I didn't know them personally doesn't mean that it still doesn't hurt."

"I understand," Robin smiled, "but now, it seems that you can put them to rest once and for all. I'm sure that, if they were here, they would be very proud of what you've done."

Deity could see her blush. "I-I guess."

"Come on guys, no more moping," Luffy jumped around in the center of the village, a mug in each hand and a ring of meat hanging from his neck, "let's P-A-R-T-Y!"

Nothing in the village was silent that night. Fires crackled into the fog as fairies flew around in complicated dances. Sanji flirted with some of the younger girls as Nami shared braiding secrets. Franky and Usopp showed off their weapons and the Sunny as Brooke played a loud tune alongside their windpipes.

 _I've never seen them so happy_ , Deity stood and took in all their grins and laughter, _so carefree…even after being blamed for my…death…_

After a few moments of nodding to them, he slowly slipped away, into the darkness of the jungle as the moon's rays trickled in through the branches and breaking fog.

* * *

The beach was deathly quiet compared to what the village party had been. Deity sat, his bare feet under the lapping waves against the cold sand. There were no walls of vines anymore, and he could see for miles into the distant waters. He hugged his knees against his chest and sighed. "What will I do?"

"You are lost in your way, young Erlking."

"Oh, Bona," Deity hadn't heard the large man behind him until he saw him take a seat, "I'm sorry if I worried anyone by leaving."

"No offense, but with the captain of the Straw Hats breaking into song, I don't think anyone's noticed your absence yet."

"…Maybe it's for the better if they don't."

"Maybe?"

His smile faded. He couldn't keep it up. "I had a terrible dream…or vision. If Jupiter Island finds out that I'm alive and the Straw Hats weren't the culprits, it could bring everything my people have worked for crumbling down. They would become enemies to the world, wanted by the Marines. I…there's no way I can go back. It's for the best in everyone's case if I remain dead…and the Straw Hat Pirates stay the accused."

"Everyone but you, you mean."

"My case doesn't matter if others will be hurt in the process."

Bona was silent for a long moment. "…Then you will never return home. In that case, you have many options available to you."

"Really?"

"You could stay here and become part of the village. You would always be an outsider, mind you, but you would be safe and accepted. Lil may be feisty, but she is kind. She knows a good heart when she finds one."

 _That would be nice. I could even live in the jungle as the Erlking…I'd need to find a hairbrush, though. Definitely._

"You could join the Straw Hats on their journey to find the One Piece. I'm sure Luffy wouldn't mind your company, and your powers would be a powerful asset."

 _Another Devil Fruit user, joining the Straw Hat Pirates…I wonder what it'd be like to fight alongside them._

"Or there's the sea."

"The sea? I can't swim away, Bona. Devil Fruit users are cursed by the water."

"I wold not recommend it," Bona turned to him, his pale eyes unnerving in the moonlight, "but if you wanted, you could simply…keep walking."

"…Into the water."

The large man rose and turned back to the jungle. "Only you can make this choice, knowing that if it is wrong, you will hurt many. Come the morning the pirates and Doctor Jomei will be leaving. We've helped to fix the remains of their boats."

 _Comforting_ , Deity shivered as the winds rose, Bona disappearing back into the trees, _but…he's right…,_ his gaze returned to the water, where a dolphin rose into the air to greet the fresh breeze, _I need to make the right decision…whichever that may be…_

 **Here is the penultimate to our story, and so winds down the story of Deity's survival. I'll talk more about the story in the next and final chapter, but I'd like to thank everyone who came back to read this sequel, and for those newcomers that have given it a chance. It's been a lot of fun writing with these characters again.**

 **Until the next chapter!**


	14. Sunny Departs! Deity, King of the Sea!

The next morning came at last, and with the help of the fairies both the Sunny and Doctor Jomei's boathouse were wading by the beach, awaiting their travellers. Lil and Bona stood at the front of the villagers as Deity and Luffy stepped up to them. "Gee, thanks for all the meat, you guys! It was a great party!"

"It's the least we could do after all the trouble I caused," Lil sighed, "and from now on, I promise to never capsize another ship again. The jungle is just going to have to take care of itself from now on. Shokusei Island will disappear."

"You have done well for this island and its people, Prince Deity," Bona shook his hand, "and I hope yours and the Straw Hats' journeys will go well."

"Oh, right," Lil frowned, "say, Deity, have you decided what you're going to do from now on?"

He hadn't told any of them yet. As she finished her question all eyes laid on him. Deity coughed into his arm and smiled. "Yes. I know what I have to do."

"…Well? Don't keep us waiting!"

"…I'm going to travel with Doctor Jomei as his assistant."

The fairies murmured in approval as Jomei grinned. "I asked him to join me before we fell asleep last night. I think it'd be nice having someone younger and stronger than I on board. Think of all the lives we can save together."

"And as a bonus," Zoro nodded, "you won't be found by the Marines, you island will remain safe, and your Erlking-Erlking powers will be kept a secret from prying eyes and hunters."

"I wish you would stay," Lil gave him a big hug, "but I suppose a jungle really isn't the place for the king of the elves."

"I'm afraid the sea will have to be my forest."

* * *

Little by little the fairies returned to the jungle, until only Lil stood at the edge of the beach, waving to them as they departed on their boats. "Thank you, Straw Hats!"

"Your welcome," Luffy called back as a thick fog began to hide the beach, "be sure to protect the village! And don't let those cyclops push you around!"

"I won't – we won't!"

Soon it was impossible to see the island. Deity stood, leaning against the outside of the boathouse as Jomei worked inside, organizing all the herbs and potions the fairies had given them.

"Deity."

He spotted Nami sitting on the Sunny's banister, pointing at her chest. "Don't worry about it."

"…About what? You haven't stolen anything from us, have you, master thief?"

She giggled. "I meant the blame put on us for your death. We know the truth, and that's all that matters right now."

"…Thanks."

"Bye, Deity," Chopper rode on Usopp's shoulders as the crew appeared behind Nami, "we'll see each other again someday!"

"Yeah," Luffy grinned ear to ear, "when I've become king of the pirates!"

 _…That could takes years…_

The fog began to widen the space between them, the Sunny slowly disappearing from view. "Be careful," he called out to them, "the Marines could be anywhere!"

"Not to worry, we've got this!"

 _…I guess this is it, then…_

"Deity!"

He could hear Luffy's voice as the ship became a mere form of shadow.

"If you ever need our help, give us a call!"

"…I don't have a bell, Luffy."

"GAH, right," he could hear faint rummaging before a small object flew over and into his hands. "then use that!"

It was a small orange transponder snail. "I stole it from a marine officer a while back. I named it Bacon!"

 _…It…doesn't even remotely resemble bacon._

"…I promise!"

"For real, this time! _NO_ fake deaths!"

"Understood…captain…"

By then the Sunny was long gone. Deity stood outside for another moment before entering the boathouse to find Jomei sitting on the bed. "We'll need to buy you your own bed at the next stop."

"Anything will do."

"A prince deserves the best, does he not?"

Deity smiled. "I'm not a prince anymore – but this king will be fine with sleeping under the stars."

 **END**

 **And so ends the tale of Prince-er, King Deity. I never planned for him to join the crew, rather to give him a path where he could have his own journey. Doctor Jomei was also a fun character to write, despite how little there was of him. I'm glad I got back to this story; leaving "A Prince's Ponderings" with its ending had bugged me for a year. This is a great relief, and I can only hope you readers enjoyed it as much as I did. It was unplanned, out of nowhere, and overall, a whole lot of fun.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **P.S: Posting these chapters early so I can focus on my next short fanfic and my longer Miraculous Ladybug fic.**


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